3 Ways Social Entrepreneurs Can Think About Failure Differently

Failure isn't easy for any entrepreneur, but for those building tech startups or products in the for-profit sector, it may be easier to reconcile. If no one was going to use or buy your product, why build it? The value of failure is evident in saving time and money, but for social entrepreneurs building companies, products or brands for the betterment of the world, failure can be more difficult to understand.

Whether you were creating an organization or movement to tackle homelessness or hunger, people needed your solution. They needed your philanthropy, the awareness you were spreading and the compassion you were bringing to those in need. So what happens if you fail?

Understanding the value of failure when you were trying to make a difference can be incredibly difficult. But as it is for all entrepreneurs, failure is inevitable. Whether a project fails or your whole organization fails, it's important to remember these three things as you recover from failure equipped with lessons learned.

You raised awareness.

We all have a sphere of influence. Even if your endeavor didn't succeed, there was likely value in what you did along the way and the people who heard your message or mission. Don't discredit the value of the passion you instilled in others and the inspiration it may provide to another entrepreneur down the road. Whether it was the spreading of an idea or sparking passion in someone else who will go onto make a difference, if you tried, you most likely spread your message enough to spark awareness and conversation.

You learned what not to do.

Just because this organization didn't succeed doesn't mean you won't have another shot in the future. Many successful entrepreneurs have a failed venture (or 2 or 3) before they ended up building a successful organization that made an impact. Don't let pride stop you from taking an inventory of your lessons learned. It may be painful to analyze wrong moves or mistakes that led to your organization's failure, but it's a critical exercise. By making mistakes and learning from them, you'll better ensure you won't make the same mistake again – and your future venture will benefit.

Your leadership will be refined.

Leading a social impact organization is incredibly difficult work. It's taxing professionally and emotionally – especially when you deeply care about your work. Over time, you'll have a team to lead, a cause to advocate for and a brand to build, and this takes great leadership. As backwards as it may feel at times, your moments of failure will build the character you need to be an influential leader that can inspire social change. Failure helps build humility, ownership and accountability – and perhaps most importantly, resiliency, a critical leadership trait that you'll need as you work to impact social systems and help others.

Nonprofit and social enterprise failure happens for a long list of reasons – lack of funding, poor timing, lack of partnership and more. But no matter what ultimately led to failure, it's important to remember that there's value in the experience and it will equip you with valuable skills throughout your future work.

Said best by Winston Churchill, "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."

Social entrepreneurship can be tiring, trying work. You will fail. Whether that failure ends your organization or ends a project, no matter what social issue you're tackling, perseverance is the key to creating lasting change to impact the lives of others, whether it's your first try or your fifth attempt.

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